Lao Szechuan begins serving authentic and Americanized Chinese dishes
April 3, 2019
Lao Szechuan has opened the second part of its restaurant on 41st Street.
The side of the restaurant at 3101 W. 41st St. that serves a hot pot buffet began serving customers March 19. Now, in the other half of the restaurant, diners can order authentic Szechuan and American-style Chinese dishes, said Heidi Jiang, who helps manage the restaurant owned by her friend Hui Wang.
One menu features typical dishes such as General Tso’s Chicken, beef and broccoli, and lo mein with chicken, beef or shrimp. At lunch, customers can order from the full menu or pick from eight specials for $9.
The Szechuan menu features several entrees with seafood, fish and pork. There also are chicken, duck, beef, lamb, tofu and vegetarian dishes. Many of the options are spicy, and a few include uncommon ingredients such as century egg, pork ear, duck necks and pork or beef intestines.
Two of the dishes feature lobster, which Jiang noted is uncommon in Sioux Falls outside of Red Lobster. Several of the fish dishes include the whole fish.
Some of the menu items like the stuffed buns, fried dumplings and homemade pork sausage aren’t available yet. “We didn’t want to overwhelm the kitchen staff at the start,” Jiang said.
The menu also is available for take-out orders.
Since it opened last month, the hot pot buffet has had busier and slower times, Jiang said. Many customers aren’t familiar with the Chinese version of hot pot, she said. Lao Szechuan customers pick their own ingredients from the buffet, and while the two broth choices are seasoned, most of the flavor comes from the sauces and seasonings that diners add to the ingredients after they’ve been cooked, she noted.
Hours for both parts of the restaurant are 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
